Sourdough Croissants Recipe

Ingredients

Croissant Dough (Détrempe):

600 g (4 ¾ cups) all-purpose flour
65 g (⅓ cup) granulated sugar
12 g (2 teaspoons ) salt
60 g (¼ cup) active sourdough starter 100% hydration
205 g (1 cup) water room temperature
112 g (½ cup) whole milk room temperature
56 g (¼ cup) unsalted butter cold and cut into ½-inch pieces
1.5 g Optional: (½ teaspoon) active dry yeast (0.2%)

Butter Block:

340 g (1 ½ cup) unsalted butter 84-86% butterfat (I used Kerrygold)

Egg Wash:

1 egg yolk
1 Tbsp heavy cream

Instructions

Day 1: Prepare The Dough

Mix the dough: In the bowl of a stand mixer, add the flour, sugar, salt, milk, water, sourdough starter, and optional yeast. Mix on low speed with the dough hook attachment for 1 minute. Add the butter and continue mixing, scraping down the sides as needed, until a smooth dough forms about 3-4 minutes). Video: Mixing Croissant Dough
Ingredients: 600g all-purpose flour, 65g sugar, 12g salt, (optional: 1.5g active dry yeast), 205g water, 112g whole milk, 60g sourdough starter, 56g butter
First Rise: Place the dough on a lightly floured surface. Shape it into a ball and place the dough in a bowl or container. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap let the dough rise at room temperature for three to six hours. Once your dough is approximately 1.5x its original size, transfer it to the fridge to cold proof for a minimum of 4 hours or over night (~12 hours).

Make the Butter Block

Prepare the Butter Block: Video: How to Make a Butter Block
Start by laying out a large sheet of parchment paper on your work surface. Place your sticks of butter next to each other in the center of the paper, and fold the sides of the paper over to fully enclose the butter. Flip the parchment paper over so that the folds are against the table. Using a rolling pin, lightly beat the butter into a ½’’ thick layer. Remove the butter from the parchment paper and re-wrap the butter, measuring the parchment paper so that it forms an 8’’ square. The ½’’ butter layer should be smaller than the 8’’ parchment paper square. Flip the packet over again and beat the butter into an 8’’x8’’ square that it fills out the parchment paper. Eventually, it will be easy to roll the butter out to the edges of the parchment paper and get a clean square shape. Place the butter in the fridge to firm up.
340g unsalted butter, 84-86% butterfat

Day 2: Laminating the Dough

Prepare the dough for laminating: Remove the dough from the fridge and place it on a floured surface. Use your hand to deflate the dough and shape it into the shape of a square. Wrap the dough fully in plastic wrap and use a rolling pin to roll it into a flat 8-inch by 8-inch square. Place the wrapped dough in the freezer for 20 minutes.
Roll the dough: Remove the butter from the refrigerator and the dough from the freezer. Set aside the butter. Unwrap the dough and place it on a lightly floured surface. Roll the dough, until it reaches 16 inches long, maintaining a width of 8 inches (barely wider than the butter block). Tip: Dust with flour as neccesary to help with the rolling process.
Lock in the butter: Place the butter in the center of the dough and peel off the parchment paper. The butter block should be aligned with the sides of the dough, with an equal amount of dough overhanging at the top and the bottom. Fold the overhanging flaps of dough over the butter so that the two ends meet in the middle. If they don’t meet, gently tug until they do. Seal both sides of the dough together and pinch the remaining sides of the dough to fully enclose the butter. Video: Locking in the Butter
First turn (book fold): Rotate the dough so the seam is vertical. Roll the dough, lengthwise, to create a 24’’ long sheet that is ¼’’ – ½’’ thick. With a knife or a dough cutter, trim the short ends of your rectangle so that you have a clean 24’’ long rectangle that is straight on all 4 sides. Take the shorter edge of the rectangle that’s farthest from you and fold it towards the center, lining up the edges. Gently press down to make sure the dough sticks together. Do the same with the opposite side, leaving a small ⅛’’ gap between the edges in the middle. Next, fold the entire dough in half along this gap, bringing the top half down over the bottom half. At this point, you now have a rectangular packet of dough, also known as a “book,” with four layers. This technique is referred to as the “first turn” or “book fold” and it quadruples the butter layers within the dough. Video: First Turn - Book Fold
Rest the dough: Wrap the dough in plastic wrap and place in the freezer for 15 minutes, then transfer to the refrigerator for one hour.
Simple turn (second turn): Remove the dough from the fridge and let it sit at room temperature for about 5 minutes. Lightly flour your work surface and roll out the dough into a 24-inch by 8-inch rectangle again, creating a long, narrow slab about ⅜’’ thick. Fold the dough into thirds. This is called the “simple turn,” and it triples the layers in the dough. Wrap the dough again in plastic wrap and freeze for 15 minutes, then refrigerate for 1 hour. Video: Simple Turn
Pre shape the dough: Remove the dough from the fridge and place the dough on a floured surface. Using a rolling pin, roll the dough into a 14-inch x 17-inch rectangle. Wrap and freeze for 20 minutes then refrigerate overnight, between 8-12 hours.

Day 3: Shaping and Baking the Croissants

Shape the croissants: Remove your dough from the fridge and allow it to sit at room temperature for about 5 minutes. Lightly flour your work surface and re-roll the dough into a 17 x 14”. Trim to a 16” rectangle, then cut into four 4” x 14” strips. Next, working one rectagle at a time, slice a straight line from opposite corners of the rectangle to form two long, equal triangles. Repeat this step for reach rectangle. Using a knife or a wheel cutter, trim the base of your triangle to ensure it’s a nice straight line – you’re just looking to clean it up a bit, so trim as little as possible. Starting one triangle at a time, widen the base by gently tugging on the 2 corners of the bottom of the triangle. You’re looking to achieve a 3’’ base of the triangle. Then, running your fingers along the length of the triangle towards the point, gently pull to lengthen the triangle. Starting at the base of the triangle, tightly roll into a croissant. Repeat this process with all 8 triangles. Place the shaped croissants on a parchment-lined baking tray and cover loosely with plastic wrap. Video: Shaping Croissants
Proof the croissants (two options):
a. Room temperature proof: Proof at room temperature for 4-6 hours until the croissants are jiggly to the touch and have nearly doubled in size.
b. Faster proof with steam: Proof for 2-3 hours at 70-75f by using a proofing box, oven/countertop oven with proof setting, or placing a tray of warm water in the oven to create steam.
Chill the croissants and preheat oven: Remove the baking sheets from the oven and carefully uncover them, then transfer to the refrigerator and chill for 20 minutes. Preheat your oven to 375°F (190°C).
Egg wash: In a small bowl, whisk together the egg yolk and heavy cream. Remove your croissants from the refrigerator. Using a pastry brush, apply the egg wash to tops of the croissants, not the exposed layers on the sides. Video: Egg wash.
Bake the croissants: Bake for 15 minutes, rotate the sheets, and bake for an additional 10-15 minutes until deep golden brown. Cool completely on baking sheets.
Serve and enjoy! Enjoy your homemade sourdough croissants with a hot cappucinno or take things to another level by piping with a delicious pastry cream filling.

Notes

Note: This recipe is an adaptation of the NYT croissant recipe, using sourdough instead of yeast. I have linked to the NYT video for each step to provide helpful visual cues as you proceed through the process.

Success Tips:

Use an active and bubbly starter: Feed your starter 4-6 hours before using it in the recipe for the best rise and flavor.
Keep everything cold: Lamination works best when the butter and dough are cold. If the dough becomes warm at any point, pop it in the fridge for 15-20 minutes.
Don’t rush the proofing: If you choose the room temperature proof, be patient! Waiting until the dough is properly jiggly and doubled in size is key to getting the best rise.
Use high-fat butter: High-fat European-style butter works best for creating the flaky layers that croissants are known for.

Enjoy your perfectly flaky, buttery sourdough croissants!